Phil Hellmuth - not a gambler
I often wonder if being a gambler is part of what makes great poker players great. Seems like you hear an awful lot about pros like Ivey, TJ, Ted Forrest, Ungar, DN either making -EV non-poker bets or playing above their roll, and I seem to remember Doyle writing something in the intro to SS about heavy sports betting in the past.
Anyway, Hellmuth seems like the exception to the rule in this regard. I was only able to listen to the cardplayer final table audio for a short while, but I was struck by Phil's comment to DN regarding his HU challenge - namely that even if he (Phil) was a 55/45 favorite over DN in a HU match, he wouldn't want to risk $500k on it.
This led me to wonder whether I'd be willing to risk 10% of my total liquid assets as a 55/45 favorite. Hard to say for sure when it's just theoretical, but I'm fairly certain that I'd take that bet. Maybe not for more than 30% though...
Anyway, I'm no fan of Phil, his bloated ego and silly antics, but I do kinda respect the guy for his discipline.
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